


Interesting Things Happen In The Dark

by PotionsMistressM



Category: The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: Canon - Book, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Gen, Not TV Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 13:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 100
Words: 14,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2110803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotionsMistressM/pseuds/PotionsMistressM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of 100 drabbles/ficlets based on Elena Gilbert from LJ Smith's "The Vampire Diaries."  These stories are based solely on the book canon, and <b>not</b> the TV canon.  Written for the now-defunct LJ community LJSChallenge100.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finally

Even in sleep Stefan’s features were sharp, tense, on edge…

Elena smiled sadly as she brushed a stray curl from his forehead. Sighing loudly, she sat on the edge of the bed, just watching him.

Watching him and thinking. She wondered about herself sometimes, about how she’d changed since she’d met him. Any normal girl would have gone running, screaming her lungs out, after finding out about Stefan’s true nature. And any self-respecting popular girl would have given him up at the first sign of a backlash; any level-headed, red-blooded teenager would have turned tail and got the hell out of Dodge the moment things got tough.

But that was how she knew it was real… true. It was hard and she was still here. The bittersweet smile that had visited her face so often as of late crept back along her lips, though this time there was a tiny hint of pride mixed in as she gently fingered the fading red marks on her neck.

She was his, and he wanted no one else. Finally Elena knew where she belonged.


	2. Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt _Death_. Elena's parents' funeral.

_I wanna go with you._

How many times in her childhood had she said that? Elena smiled slightly at the memory. She’d never cared much for babysitters even though at that time Aunt Judith had been young enough to be fun. Her parents had chalked up their daughter’s intense wish to be anywhere they were to her already apparent social butterfly instincts. They’d never known that she really just wanted to be with _them_. She’d never told them how much she really, truly loved them- how honestly attached to them she was. She suspected her mother had known and hoped her father had. It was too late to tell them now.

Feeling the hand at the small of her back, Elena glanced briefly at Matt. She was lucky to have him. Everyone said so. They said Matt knew what she was going through, but they were wrong. She’d never thought it would have been possible to have felt relief at the news that one of her parents was dead, but now she knew that, though heart-breaking, Matt’s loss was so much… _less_ than hers.

“It’s over, Elena.” He spoke low, his voice thick with emotion. She knew he was reliving his own father’s funeral more than grieving her parents, but she didn’t begrudge him that. She never spoke as he turned her away from the gaping hole in the otherwise perfectly manicured cemetery, and he gently wrapped an arm around her frail form as she shivered. Venturing one last look back as Matt led her away, Elena finally felt the tears that had so far been absent prick and sting her eyes as only one tangible thought played like a broken record in her head.

_I wanna go with you._

And she’d never meant it more.


	3. A Better Version of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Coming of Age

Watching the fly’s random journey over Caroline’s shoulder, Elena wasn’t really sure exactly how long Caroline had been talking, but she was fairly sure she didn’t care.

It was always the same thing with Caroline- no thought of anyone but herself or those she deemed worthy. Though she’d never call herself a saint, Elena at least knew there were more important things in the world than hair and nails and belittling others.

Distractedly, Elena sighed, not even pretending to pay attention to Caroline’s sly glances at the rumpled freshman girl she was currently mocking. She couldn’t for the life of her bring herself to care about Caroline’s self-appointment as Chief of the Fashion Police, her rude comments, or her hateful gossip even though she was sure that she would have been in fits of laughter even a week ago.

And this realization made Elena pause. For some reason, it all felt so terribly… _dumb_ to her now. Honestly, had she ever wasted so much time and energy on such meaningless crap?

The fly Elena had been watching buzzed away from the lockers, landing on the freshman’s binder which the girl held close to chest. As Elena’s eyes followed the fly, they met the eyes of the girl, shining with unshed tears. She could hear Caroline but was trying very hard to pretend that she couldn’t.

Elena had never talked to the girl- probably never would- but all of a sudden Caroline’s remarks seemed like an awfully juvenile way to behave for a high school junior. It wasn’t until the freshman bowed her head, losing her battle to control her emotions that Elena realized she was still looking at the girl. She didn’t even wait for Caroline to finish her sentence or take a breath, she simply turned to the taller girl, eyed her appraisingly, and spoke.

“Caroline, grow up.”


	4. Pain Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Pain

_Don't forget Stefan._

_Don't forget Stefan._

_Don't forget-_

What am I supposed to be remembering?

Because right now all I can comprehend is his stare, black as the tar in the street when the summer sun liquifies it and it bubbles and boils over. I can only think of his eyes and the fear that this (though I'm not entirely sure what _this_ is anymore) is terribly, inescapably wrong.

He's running his fingers along my neck now, and I know there is something else I should be thinking, but my scattered mind can't pin down any one thought.

"Shh," he whispers, placing one pale finger against my lips, his other hand still stroking my neck. Looking straight into his obsidian eyes, my mind quiets, and I instinctively lick my lips, brushing his finger with my tongue as I do so. The corner of his mouth twitches upward as he moves the finger from my mouth and uses that hand to tilt my head to the side.

"It only hurts if you resist."

I close my eyes.

Who would resist him?


	5. Black Is The Colour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Colour

It wasn’t very often that Elena simply got to look at him- to drink in the inhuman beauty of him- so she did it every chance she got. Today he sitting next to her on her couch, watching television and on his best behavior because, though she was “making dinner,” Aunt Judith kept popping in.

 _To check on me_ , Elena thought, though she knew in her heart, she was checking on him. Stefan was a sore subject around the Gilbert household, and while Elena refused to give him up just because of stupid rumors, Aunt Judith refused to give up her belief in those stupid rumors just because Elena refused to give him up. But Stefan was playing the part of the perfect boyfriend expertly, and even though Elena could tell he was uncomfortable, he’d been a gentleman and offered to help with anything Aunt Judith needed.

Not surprisingly, the offer had been declined, and so now Elena took full advantage of her chance to gaze at him.

Stefan Salvatore was a beautiful man, no matter how you looked at it, and every time she saw him, she was amazed by his lips (that looked entirely too full and inviting with Aunt Judith within sneaking distance), his flawlessly pale skin (that she wished she could kiss all over), and his features that were so strong yet still so beautifully fine.

 _…Romanesque_ , she thought, giggling.

Stefan chanced a glance at her then, his face stern, but it only made Elena giggle louder and fall just a little bit farther in love with him. His face softened at her smile, and as she gazed into his eyes, green as oak leaves, she knew that even if he couldn’t say it, he loved and adored her completely.

A mischievous look gleamed in Elena’s eyes and she bit her lower lip as she continued on her playful streak, reaching up and running a hand through his gorgeous black wavy hair, messing it up. The move had brought their faces close together, and for a moment Elena thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he burst into very uncharacteristic laughter.

Ears like a bat, Aunt Judith’s voice rang out from the kitchen.

“What do you two kids think is so funny?”

Laughing all the harder at being caught, Elena replied, “Uh… the TV.”


	6. The Itch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is slightly AU as I've upped the timeline of the book to 1992 so that _Bram Stoker's Dracula_ would have been released into theatres.

"All it takes is blood."

Elena's hand flew up to check her turtleneck instinctively before her mind could comprehend that it was Meredith who had spoken. Looking up, she saw the dark-haired girl and Bonnie approaching, lunch trays in hand.

"What do you think, Elena?" asked Bonnie, her eyes sparkling intensely the way they always did when she was trying very hard to convey a serious point. Elena sighed quietly and turned a fake alert smile towards her friends, now situating themselves at the table beside her. Still, her hand refused to leave her neck, worrying at the collar of the tight shirt. She was about to ask what they were arguing about when Meredith interjected.

"It's simple biology, Bonnie. All it is is blood. They obviously _have_ blood because they can _give_ blood."

"But technically they're dead!" Bonnie's hands flew up around her emphatically as Elena's eyes searched both of their faces. 

"What in the world are you talking about?" she asked. Though the mention of blood had originally put her on full alert, she was now just plain curious about what the two could possibly be discussing. 

"We went to see _Dracula_ again last night, and the issue came up of whether vampires can have sex," Meredith explained calmly, though Bonnie had giggled at the phrase _came up_. "Bonnie says no way since they're dead, but if you look at it from a simply scientific point of view, all an erection is is blood, and since vampires obviously have blood, I say there's no reason they can't have sex. At least male vampires."

Startled and embarrassed at her friends' topic of conversation and the path her own thoughts were taking, Elena blushed a violent red. She was thankful Stefan wasn't in the same lunch period, though he could probably feel her blood pounding all the way in English class. She glanced up at her friends- Meredith eying her contemplatively, Bonnie wide-eyed as if trying to communicate a point without speaking. Slowly, and with what Elena was worried was more than a little bit of recognition in her eyes, Meredith spoke.

"So what do you think, Elena?"

"I never thought about it," she mumbled, tugging up the collar of her turtleneck, smiling a mortified but longing smile, and feeling her blood boil. Thinking of Stefan always made those streaks of summer lightning burn through her veins.


	7. Friend Is A Four Letter Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Endings

Elena cringed once she heard the words out loud.

 _I don't deserve you_... _Friend_...? They were the standard lines, and she'd never meant to use the form-letter template for break-ups, but as she watched his brilliant blue eyes, she knew that those sayings were trite and cliche because they were often _true_. She meant every word she said to him- she honestly, truly did- but she knew he was hurt by the apparently flippant nature of her rejection. He'd obviously been expecting her to end things- he'd initiated the conversation, after all, but he was still hurt. Elena dropped her eyes guiltily. She was ashamed of the spoiled little girl she knew she was being, and she felt terrible knowing that his pain was at least in part exacerbated by her interest in Stefan. She'd denied it, of course, but he would have to have been blind not to notice.

"I'm so sorry, Matt."


	8. I'm Not Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beginnings

Somehow, I'm pretty sure this isn't the flu, no matter how much I pretend it is.

I'm fairly confident that the flu doesn't fill you with such a _pleasant_ kind of lethargy and apathy. I smile and yawn as I stretch and turn over in bed, and even though those simple acts take an inordinate amount of energy, I can't help feeling... _good_.

I know I shouldn't be feeling like this, and the part of my brain that isn't drenched in blood is screaming and setting off alarm bells. _Stefan was right_ , the voice tells me. _It was too much, too soon_.

And yet I can't seem to care. Not now, at least. I suppose a big part of that not caring comes from not accepting the reality of what's happening. It was too few times, too little blood. 

So, yes, this is the flu. Nothing more.


	9. Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Spells

The grass was still smoking as the petite redhead turned a rueful glance over her shoulder. Flanking her, her two best friends were hunched over, heaving and retching. Bonnie grimaced; she felt like barfing too- the smell was bad enough- but she didn't, probably because at that point her embarrassment was overpowering her nausea.

It had been a simple spell. All it had called for was some raven feathers, oak leaves, fire, and the light of the full moon.

But the full moon had landed on a school night. She hadn't figured that waiting a day and casting the spell under an almost-full moon would cause the whole thing to backfire. Be less potent, maybe, but violently explode, no.

She sighed and grimaced. Maybe she was a terrible neo-Druid after all. Suddenly, a cold, clammy hand gripped her wrist in a death grip. Bonnie was startled but looked down at Elena, still doubled over and holding her stomach.

"Bonnie," the blonde croaked, her voice scratchy and labored. "No more spells."


	10. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set post- _Dark Reunion_. This was written before the latest books came out, so it assumes the TVD canon ends with _Dark Reunion_.

Elena held up a finger to the toddler's mouth- silent communication that her trademark fire engine wail could not be released.

"But why?" Margaret cried with three-year-old simplicity, her tiny face- Elena's own in miniature- red and streaked with tears.

"I have to, baby." It was getting harder for Elena to keep her composure. The longer she was here with her baby sister, the more she realized what little involvement she'd really had in the girl's young life. _I should have been around more often... She won't even remember me._

The little girl flung herself across the bed and into Elena's arms, sobbing.

"But I don't want you to go!" Elena's heart broke more with each tear that fell from her sister's eye, each hiccupped breath. She'd known it would be difficult to leave her, nearly impossible- after all, if Elena had learned anything from her life, death, undeath, and death again it was the importance of loved ones. Smoothing Margaret's hair, Elena began to rock her before replying.

"Listen, Margaret. I have to leave you now, but you will never be alone. I'll be watching over you."

"Like Mommy and Daddy?"

"Umm... kind of." Elena grimaced. Not quite... but how could she explain her miraculous resurrection to a toddler when she couldn't even explain it to herself? Margaret began sobbing in earnest again as Elena rocked with her, the teenager's own battle with tears lost . The two of them sat there together, crying, until the sky began to twinge with pink. When it came time to leave, Elena found it harder than she ever could have imagined.

"No!" cried Margaret, her tiny arms reaching for Elena as she made to go, but she knew she had to make a quick exit. Stefan was waiting outside, and they both should be out of sight before it got too light out. Unless, of course, Elena wanted vampire _and_ ghost rumors floating around Fell's Church. With a sad last look around her sister's room and her childhood home, Elena sighed.

"Goodbye, Margaret. You will always be my baby sister, and I will always, always love you." 

... _I hope you know how much..._


	11. Who's To Say?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: magic

There was something about Stefan. Or maybe there was just something about how she felt when she was with Stefan, how she saw the world. Sitting there in the passenger side of his car, watching the moonlight and street lamp light wash over his fine features, it was not difficult for Elena to imagine him as something... more... than human. Things reacted to him, it seemed. Stars shone brighter, the night was calmer, more peaceful, still. Sometimes, when she was sure no one was around to see her childish smile, Elena let herself think strange thoughts. She could almost picture him as some proud fairy prince, controlling the animals and the elements. It was almost as if- she struggled to even allow her logical mind to think it- almost as if he were... _magic_.


	12. All That I'm Living For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sunrise/Sunset

I'm not sure if it's the almost imperceptible drop in temperature , or the way the light declines in tiny increments every minute, gathering speed and force the longer it rolls on, like a giant snowball...

It might be the way the color of everything changes- so slightly in the beginning, everything taking on an almost pinkish glow. It might be the way the smell changes between day and night. Humans don't smell it, but we hunters do. Each day the urge to turn my back on daylight grows more persistent.

But if I gave up on daylight, I would never see twilight, and even undead, I am a selfish, stubborn girl. With an eternity to patiently watch and study the phenomena, this limbo in between light and dark has become my favorite time of day, though sometimes my nature awaits the falling of the night so eagerly that my fangs descend on their own, surprising even me.

I was never an early riser when I was alive. The only way I ever saw a sunrise was by freak accident, and even then it was more of an annoyance, what with the light in my tired eyes, than anything I would ever consider majestic or beautiful.

But as I look out the window at the unreality twilight brings- the pink sky and the trees, now skeletal and black, looking as strangely fake as a drama club set when you see it up close- a smile tugs at my lips. This must be the feeling those weirdo hippie people feel as they watch the sun be born each day.

How strangely pleasurable it is now for me to watch the sun's daily death and disappearance.


	13. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rebirth

She slunk behind a tree, moonlight shining off her blonde head, highlighting her pale features. She knew exactly how she looked at that moment- pale, powerful, slightly crazed. Terrifyingly beautiful.

The air in the barn had been stifling, suffocating, and she'd known instictively what she'd needed to do. She hadn't told anyone she was going, and she hoped no one decided to check on her tonight. She could see Stefan's worried expression, terrified that she'd given in to her bloodlust. She loved Stefan with all her heart, but even she could see it was not wise for him to deny his nature so thoroughly, to leave himself to completely powerless. And she knew the triumphant smirk that would creep across Damon's face at finding her missing. His Queen of Shadows earning her crown- out for the hunt, the kill.

But as she leaned against the tree, Elena gasped and panted, violently aware of how her heart _should_ be pounding right now, as the fear and pain boiled inside her. She winced as she finally understood the agony Stefan had endured for centuries. She wasn't here for the hunt or for the kill. She was here because here was the only place she belonged anymore.

 _Here_ was nowhere. Alone.


	14. Bite The Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Showdown. Elena and Caroline throw down over Stefan at Homecoming. At least they do in Elena's mind.

Sometimes Elena wished she had more of a backbone. Not that she wished it very often- she was generally very self-confident- but there were times... Times like tonight as she watched Caroline slink on to the dance floor, dragging an all too accommodating Stefan with her. Tonight she wished she'd paid more attention to the pro-wrestling Matt had forced her to watch every Monday night. Those women settled their differences in a civilized way. None of this behind the back, sneaky, catty stuff- they simply beat the living hell out of one another. Elena imagined her nails twisting through Caroline's hair, ripping and clawing at her. She saw herself smack the taller girl, knock her out.

And Elena smiled.


	15. Looking In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Reflection.
> 
> Inspired by this quote from the books:  
>  _And the dress was all right; the iced-violet color brought out the violet in her eyes. But even to herself she looked pale and steely, not softly flushed with excitement but white and determined, like a very young soldier being sent to the front lines._

It had been a while since she'd first realized it, but it had taken the time away from her friends this summer for Elena Gilbert to accept it; she was different from her friends- from everyone she knew. It didn't take the plastic tiara for her to recognize that there was something wise and serene and ineffably sad about her- something unmistakeably _regal_. Maybe it was a past life or a genetic memory or simply a fragment of a self-absorbed little girl's imagination, but she knew the ramrod straight posture, the clear, pale complexion, the hard, intense gaze were all as old as time. She knew her features well, for she'd seen them all in the likes of Helen of Troy, Guenevere, and Marie Antoinette.

...Beautiful and doomed.


	16. U + Ur Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fight

"Tyler- no!"

Her small hands clawed at his meaty ones, nails finding purchase in his fleshy palm.

"Come on, baby-"

Elena growled and snarled at the large boy but grew even more distressed as her animal defenses only seemd to excite him further.

"Tyler, I said _no_!"

But Tyler would not let her go, his giant arms pulling her ever closer; his massive face was only inches from her face, his hot, rank breath invading her senses. His smile faltered, though, as her knee connected with his groin, flesh squishing audibly at the violent contact.

Elena smiled.

"That felt good."


	17. Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: wedding

She had to admit it- Matt looked damn good in a tux.

And Bonnie, with her crimson hair and perfect skin... How was it that Bonnie looked so much more _grown up_ than the last time Elena had seen her?

Elena wondered briefly why she didn't feel even the teensiest but weird about her best friend and her ex marrying each other, but her question was answered every time the ceremony became just a little too emotional and Stefan squeezed her hand reassuringly. She smiled at him. It was hard for Elena to sit out of the spotlight even though the entirety of Fell's Church thought her dead; under normal circumstances she would have been Maid of Honor today- the girls had made a pact in sixth grade.

But then again, she hadn't had to wear the orange taffeta monstrosity that Meredith was swimming in now...


	18. It Ends Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Solstice

Being dead is an interesting sensation, but not quite as bizarre as being not quite dead. Being a vampire was tolerable, being completely dead was preferable, but being a ghost-or whatever else you want to call this in-between- is just plain _weird_. I can barely stand this waiting and watching. I can't stand not being able to talk or help or shout warnings... And why the hell is Caroline here?

But I know when my time comes, my new friends and I will be the deciding factor in this battle. Evil has touched this town for the last time, I think. I'm privileged to be the one chosen to take on Honoria Fell's cause- chosen to be the one to finish the job. My new-found friends are restless; midnight can't come soon enough for them to seek their revenge. Too much blood spilled already... _unquiet spirits_... The curse on Fell's Church ends tonight at the exact stroke of midnight, when the veil between their world and ours is torn to shreds.


	19. The Perfect Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Celebration/Event

No matter how old she got, how many times she died, or how many times she received one of his kisses, Elena was sure nothing in the world would ever feel as comfortable, as much like home, as Stefan's arms did. She didn't know where they were- somewhere in West Virginia, she thought- but as long as he was with her, this tiny hotel room with the bad television reception and faint, clinical smell of an establishment trying too hard to appear clean, was as much as she'd ever need. She knew he'd felt bad about not being able to take her out for what was universally considered one of the biggest party days of the year, but they were still too close to Fell's Church to risk someone who might know her running into her at a huge party. But she didn't need any of that. The old Elena would have whined at her perceived captivity, but dying had a way of changing priorities, and now she was quite content to snuggle up against her boyfriend, drink grape juice (she hadn't managed to get a fake ID yet, and not only was "Elena Gilbert" dead, she was still underage), and watch the Times Square festivities on the television. As the big ball dropped and Stefan kissed her sweetly, Elena sighed. Her life was nowhere near perfect, or even ideal, but he made it wonderful. She hugged him to her and whispered that she loved him. Stefan, still not one-hundred percent comfortable with the "L" word, only pointed over her shoulder at the TV and changed the subject.

"Dick Clark never ages. You think he's a vampire?"


	20. Dangerous and Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lost

That thing back there was not Stefan- could not be Stefan. If that was Stefan- her Stefan- she thought frantically, there was no hope. Everyone was right, and she had been a fool all along. It couldn't be him- it was impossible... but it was him. There was no denying it was him, and that was what scared her the most. She had staked all of her hopes on him; even when the mob turned against him, she had believed in him, and she had been wrong.

When the widow's walk gave way, she wasn't sure if she was simply too panicked to be very afraid or if she simply welcomed the end that sudden gravity-assisted concrete poisoning would bring.

After all, if Stefan was what everyone had always said he was- evil, animal, wrong- and nothing she had believed him to be, everything she believed was lost to her.


	21. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set the night of Aunt Judith's Thanksgiving trial dinner

The plan was simplicity itself. He had unnerved her entirely by invading her territory so blatantly today. But then again, she thought with a smirk, it hadn't really been _her_ territory after all, had it? She ran her hand lovingly over the wooden frame of her door, almost giddy at the prospect of his defeat, the thought of his cocky smile faltering. He thought he had her scared and running, thought he had her just where he wanted her. She licked her lips hungrily, knowing, for once, she was in control.


	22. Sullivan Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Journey

Elena wasn't sure she'd ever consider this home- or anywhere else besides Fell's Church, for that matter, but the modest suburban house Stefan had _persuaded_ the landlord to rent them was certainly warm and cozy and homey enough. No one in town ever asked who they were or why neither of them ever worked, but they were personable enough most of the time, though some of the neighbors were beginning to develop a twitch and a nervous glint in their eyes when they spent too much time around Stefan. 

Elena sighed as she rounded the corner to her new street. It was a nice town, but it was a small town, and she knew small town mentality all too well. The house was nice, but she knew that sooner or later the rumors would start again.


	23. Drive You Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Friendship. Matt helps Elena in the wake of Mr. Tanner's death.

Elena had never had to ask Matt for anything in her life. He'd always known somehow what she wanted, when she wanted it. He had, in fact, been the perfect boyfriend, and she knew that, at least until recently, he never would even consider denying her anything.

But now...

The mob was growing, and she was terrified. Her entire life Matt had been her savior, but it was selfish to expect him to save her now. Maybe selfish, but still she felt entitled- like he was a familiar toy she loved well but had put away for now. Sure, she was setting him aside for grown-up things, but she still needed something to cling to when she was scared, like a teddy bear she needed to clutch during a thunderstorm. 

Now she was more than afraid, and she knew her eyes were bright and shining with tears. In the few instances that Matt hadn't anticipated her needs, he'd been somehow able to read her desires in her expressive eyes. Locking her eyes onto his, she silently whispered over and over, _Please, Matt..._

Once and only once, the blonde boy nodded determinedly and slipped out of the gym, unnoticed in the commotion.


	24. Once Upon A December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who had reigned benignly over a small but loyal court. She had been fair of complexion with hair that flowed like molten gold and eyes that shone as brightly as bits of highly polished lapis lazuli. She had been kind and sweet and well-loved by her subjects, who had admired her with a simple, blind kind of awe.

But then the princes had arrived at her court, first the light prince with eyes green as oak leaves and intentions as would befit a white knight, and after him, the dark prince with eyes filled with the midnight sky and a soul to match the blackness there. The light prince had only wanted to love the beautiful princess; the dark one had only been bent on destroying her. The dark one was a monster, his thin disguise of humanity falling away entirely when he was alone with her. He was selfish and cold, and he'd intended to make her his own personal plaything. The princess loved the light prince with all her heart, but it was the dark one, through threats and treachery, who had finally seduced her. The monster had claimed the princess, making her like him, no longer beautiful but a monster with midnight in her heart.

It had taken the princess some time to become accustomed to the darkness that lived inside her, even though the light prince never stopped loving her, and under his tutelage she realized that even in the pitchy blackness of midnight, stars provided light and hope. With the prince's help, she had begun to reclaim her nobility. A monster could never sit on the throne, but she still loved the subjects who had served her so loyally and so graciously during her reign. She ached to once again be a part of the happy revelry, the cacophony of humanity. But in the end she was still a terrible monster, and a monster could never rule, but a monster with a bit of light in her soul made a ferocious protector- a dragon in the keep, exhaling streams of smoke in a kind of state of calm, measured agitation. 

And on the night when her former subjects would name her successor, the princess crouched in readiness, poised to attack- _to protect_ \- at any moment.


	25. Seize the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quotation is from Matthew 4:9

What he had to offer her was intoxicating. Eyes glazed in far-off concentration, Elena struggled with the whisper of a memory. It was from a very long ago time, before her parents had died, when they used to make her go to church every Sunday. Slowly, her mind drew up the ghostly apparitions of two men on a cliff or a mountain. She still had no idea what it meant until the words came to her and she involuntarily turned to repeat them to Damon.

" _All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me._ "

Damon laughed out loud, a brief, jarring noise, and the humor never reached his eyes. Pulling her close against him, he purred seductively into her ear.

"And why do you think falling down and adoring me would be all that bad?"


	26. Oxygen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Elements

The opposition to Stefan was infuriating. She had never in her life done anything that would lead any of them to not trust her judgement. She'd never stepped out of her bounds, snuck out at night, or rebelled in any measurable way. She'd never dyed her hair, pierced her face, or tattooed anything. She'd never had a detention, skipped school, or picked a fight. She'd never been drunk, high, or pregnant, so why on earth were they all acting like she was deficient and couldn't think straight?

The opposition was infuriating, but Elena knew that if it came to it, she'd just have to roll her eyes, shrug her shoulders, and steel herself. She'd never imagined that she would ever need someone as much as she needed Stefan now. It wasn't dependence like she knew Aunt Judith feared- after all, what could she come to depend on Stefan for, a gaggle of half-dead pet rabbits after he was done with them? It was pure, simple, completely reciprocal _need_. As simple as that. She couldn't give up Stefan anymore than she could give up breathing.


	27. Only Happy When It Rains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Weather

It was kind of strange when she really thought about it, but she still smiled as she took a deep, cleansing breath of the chilly autumn air. This seemed the kind of thing better suited to the quiet kids who dressed in black and ate lunch solemnly in the band hallway every day. This seemed more like the realm of Bonnie and her witch ancestors than of the bright, beautiful, bubbly queen of Robert E. Lee High. But as she watched the lightning dance over the horizon and heard the thunder roll, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face.


	28. Walk Through The Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And then the darkness and the shadows faded and there was nothing but light." - _The Fury_

Stefan faded away from me, but the fire did not. Before he slipped away and my eyes closed for the last time, the flames had felt warm, like a tanning bed, but on this side there is nothing lambent about it. It is still light, but it is a ferocious, unforgiving light. And after all, what is light but fire? I smile at the pain because it is a satisfying, cleansing pain. The fire rips through me, licking up my sides- transfiguring me until I am torn apart completely and my corporeal body falls from me in tatters and ashes.


	29. Careless Whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _"You only want everybody and everything revolving around Elena Gilbert," he said bitterly._

The very sight of Stefan and Caroline together made Elena’s stomach turn. She was beginning to think that her plan had backfired spectacularly. She didn’t have Stefan, she didn’t have Matt, and here she was, Homecoming Queen, and she wasn’t going to have any fun, either. It was supposed to be one of the most memorable nights of her life, a regular Kodak moment, and she couldn’t enjoy it at all.

Because Matt was right.

He’d asked her to dance, and she’d accepted, but her heart was not in it. Elena sighed and slumped against his shoulder. Poor, poor Matt.


	30. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Forest

Elena could see by his statue-straight posture that Stefan’s hold on his emotions was tenuous at best. He was facing away from her, leaning against a tree and almost blending in with the twilight shadows that crept along floor of the forest behind the boarding house, flooding it with an almost tangible darkness. Unfortunately for him, her eyes were sharp as a hawk’s now, and she could discern his shape from the grayish black haze. Sidling up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, his muscles tightening at her contact. Sighing, he embraced her arms, fading into black.


	31. Requiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Music

Today the choir loft was dark and quiet, but Elena could remember a time when it had been full of boisterous children heralding the nativity and resurrection. Once she had been a part of that tuneless, joyful cacophony- a long time ago, before her parents’ deaths had numbed her to most of life’s joys. She had never been a particularly good girl, but as she’d traced the cross outside, she’d wished for the first time that had tried harder to be... _better_. She wasn’t evil- she believed that in her heart, but that belief couldn’t stop the lonely tear that slid down her face. Today she’d give anything to go back and join that chorus of simple, unquestioning joy.


	32. Snow White Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Royalty

It’s pretty easy to see how even in the days of purity and prudishness Damon could’ve worked a girl out of her panties fairly quickly. But I can’t deny considering- even fantasizing about- what he could give me. Power, an adventure, a place to belong.

...And someone to belong to.

Because even though I can’t hear it, I can _feel_ the emphasis on his words.

 _His_ Queen of Shadows.

I know what Stefan says about him- nothing more than wham, bam, thank you ma’am. But as I watch his words dance so gracefully across his lips and light up his midnight eyes, I know the truth.

Damon doesn’t just want a consort.

Damon wants me.


	33. Don't Know Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: History

She couldn’t think of anything she’d like less than to be stuck in Mr. Tanner’s classroom, listening to him drone on, all the while trying valiantly to not glance at Stefan across the aisle. She pulled out her notebook as a force of habit and began doodling mindlessly as her imagination wrote its own version of history. One where the beautiful Italian boy and the charming American girl rode off into the sunset.

“Elena Gilbert, are you paying attention?” Mr. Tanner’s voice interrupted her revery.

“Nope,” she replied distractedly, not even looking up from her notebook and its now-black page.


	34. So Like A Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stars

He was smiling at her as they lay on the grass of the football field, the team victorious and the crowd long gone. In this light it was hard for Elena to believe that he was a football player- his features looked so amazingly fine. Not to say he appeared weak- he still emanate that unquestionable aura of strength- but he looked... _beautiful_. More beautiful than any boy should.

Elena smiled back, her heart racing, chest falling with each exhalation. In that moment she knew that she, Stefan, and those beautifully omniscient stars were the only beings in existence.


	35. All The Love In The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Loneliness

Catching first sight of Matt, Elena’s heart dropped. _Shouldn’t be your reaction when you see your boyfriend_ , she thought guiltily, a wave of pyschosomatic nausea rolling over her. There was no reason for her to feel the way she did.

He was her friend, her buddy, her perpetual date for _Monday Night Football_. He never forgot a birthday, an anniversary, or a holiday. He always went to the movie she wanted to see, never argued over where to go for dinner.

 _Stop it_ , she told herself. She had no right feeling lonely with a boyfriend like Matt.


	36. All Around Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ecstasy

Lightning.

Probably a terribly inaccurate analogy, but it’s all I can think of- white hot lightning striking my skin everywhere Stefan’s lips touch it, everywhere his body presses against me. I want to look at him, but with his every touch, my eyes flutter closer and closer to closed. I want to see his smile- a predatory smirk- not necessarily vampiric, just... _male_.

His lips linger longingly on my neck as my pulse quickens in response. But that’s not what tonight’s about, and Stefan shows more self-control than I ever could as his lips reluctantly leave my pulse point.


	37. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Anniversary

Elena knew she could never tell Stefan why she was sad today despite his repeated inquiries. Damon’s sudden disappearance last June had left her with more unfinished business, more unrequited and misunderstood feelings, than anything else in her life ever had. She thought about him nearly everyday, and though she was sure she loved Stefan with her entire being, she also loved Damon. Maybe not in a _Good Housekeeping_ , wife-of-the-year way like she did Stefan, but in a way she couldn’t understand but still longed for. She hadn’t written it down, not even in her diary, but she would never forget this date. One year ago today she had first met Damon Salvatore.


	38. Rooftop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Grief. Elena after her parents' death.

_Death is Bonnie’s thing._

The thought seemed to ring through every inch of her as she huddled against the wind. Death was Bonnie’s thing, not Elena’s, but she still couldn’t stop thinking about it. She could feel spring rain approaching, and a gloomy part of herself that had only recently come into existence welcomed the storm. Standing, Elena let go of a branch- her only link to stability. She thought she might fall, but it didn’t bother her much. If she fell, she fell. She was too tired to think about it anymore.

After all, death was Bonnie’s thing.


	39. Life Got Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Summer

She hadn’t gone to Paris with the intention of finding herself or any of that nonsense that the older girls prattled on about, but that was what had happened anyway. There was a gnawing feeling at the bottom of her stomach, and as the plane touched down, she tried to convince herself that she was merely airsick. But she knew it was more. Being on her own all summer, she’d grown up, and the hardest part of growing up was knowing that nothing was ever going to be the same again. 

_Oh, Matt. We could have been so artlessly happy._


	40. February Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Winter. Elena visits Stefan in a dream.

“Stefan, please.”

His green eyes burn through me, hurt and longing searing my very soul. It’s so gut wrenching to be like this; how can I calm him if I don’t know what’s going on myself? I’m dead. I know that. But somehow I know it’s still not over, at least not completely.

“Elena...” The pain in his voice is practically tangible, and my heart aches both at his suffering and because even in the February chill he sleeps without a shirt.

“I love you.” I shut my eyes against the sounds of his pained cries as I fade away.


	41. Sweet Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: War

Until this moment, Elena had never been sure if she really had any feelings either way on the subject of Katherine. Initially, the idea of being torn between the Salvatores had seemed preposterous to Elena, but as she’d begun to know Damon more, she’d realized how easy it might have been to fall in love with both of them.

...For a selfish, childish psychopath.

The brothers had suffered enough, and Elena knew she would do whatever she had to-anything in her power- to keep her from hurting them again.

If war was what she wanted, war was what she’d get.


	42. Superbeast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Animals.

The white tiger slunk threateningly toward Elena, filling the room with the unmistakable stench of death, gallons of blood matted in its muzzle, and an unforgettable air of menace. There was no doubt in her mind now that this strange animal was her murderer, though in the rearview it had appeared as a giant white owl. Not counting the terror for her own safety, she worried about Stefan and Bonnie, though her thoughts flew to Damon, who was conspicuously absent. But as the giant cat snarled, Elena had no reason to worry. The black wolf had come to protect them.


	43. Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Children

“...And I can’t give her that.”

Damon was confused at his brother’s statement, though entirely too bored to form that consternation into words. Instead, Stefan received a condescending gaze and a raised eyebrow. When it became clear that his brother was not going to elaborate any further, the older vampire sighed dramatically.

“What do you mean, you can’t give it to her?”

It was now Stefan’s turn to cast a worried glance at Damon. After all, Stefan had been undead just as long as Damon had, and unless he’d missed that day in vampire health class, he was pretty sure Elena’s wish would never be granted- at least by him. But as the vampires stared at each other, sick realization flooded over Stefan.

“Damon, Elena wants to _have_ a baby. Not _eat_ a baby.”


	44. When I'm Sixty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Growing Old

The first gray hair had been a shock. The first real wrinkle had panicked her so badly she’d nearly collapsed. And she didn’t even want to think about the southern migration of two certain previously-prized bits of her anatomy.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known this was going to happen, but she had pushed the idea out of her head every time the little clock had ticked inside her head. And it wasn’t as though she minded it all that much. Only when she looked at him, still so perfect and young, did the sharp pain stab her heart.


	45. Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Bones

I can control the dreams in the beginning, can make myself whole again- make myself _me_ again, because I never want anyone to see me the way I really am. In the dreams I can pretend. But he’s always here, and once he finds me he has total control. At the beginning, I can sit and have a pleasant picnic with Bonnie or dress up in a poodle skirt, and I can look damn good doing it. But sooner or later he always finds me, and I end up like I started- a dried, decaying pile of bones.


	46. Was It A Dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Picture

Elena Gilbert never would have guessed that popularity could feel so far away, and she was almost ashamed as a tear fell, hot and guilty, on to the yearbook she cradled in her lap. She would never admit it, but she missed the group smiling back at her. It was so silly to be afraid of Stefan, and even sillier to be afraid of her for dating him. Even if he was a vampire, no one knew he was but Elena.

Closing the book, Elena sighed and wiped her eyes. Popularity had been nice, but she’d choose Stefan every time.


	47. Why Don't You Get A Job?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jobs/Careers. Stefan decides that Elena needs to start pulling her weight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no explaining this. It would never happen. Stefan would never make Elena work, and there's nothing in his history that suggests he's ever had trouble supporting himself. So, yeah, had nowhere to go with this one...

What the hell was the point of dating a guy whose bags and trunks were chock full of valuable artifacts from Renaissance Italy if you couldn’t sell one of them when you needed some extra cash? Elena rolled her eyes. This was stupid and unfair- he’d survived for centuries and she bet _he’d_ never had to get a crappy minimum wage job! But since meeting Elena he’d had to turn over a new leaf and not use his powers unless it was necessary- to be nice and respectable.

“Fine.” She scowled at him. “But I’m not wearing a name tag!”


	48. Fields of Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Childhood

Giggling toddlers shouldn’t make anyone cry, Elena thought wistfully as she observed Margaret playing on the floor with Robert. She supposed she was happy that her little sister had him and Aunt Judith, but her heart ached with loss. Margaret would never have the memories of her parents like Elena did, and the thought seemed so incredibly unfair. Elena’s best memories were of her childhood- of summers spent at the beach with her mother and playing baseball with her father. Margaret would never have memories of her real parents, and the worst part was that she’d never know the difference.


	49. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Games

Damon Salvatore was a sore loser.

Sure, he claimed to love this little game of cat-and-mouse, catch-and-release, but when Elena got the upper hand for once, all bets were off. He’d been so sure he’d bested her when he’d shown up for the dinner, but with her lounging smugly just inside the barrier formed by the original house, the ball was in her court. And that was something he simply could not abide.

He snarled viciously- this was _his_ game, and he would not lose. 

A soft sigh from the nearest bedroom caught his attention, and Damon’s snarl turned to a smirk.

He may not win the game as it was, but nothing could stop him from changing the rules.


	50. Fly Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Partings

Though we stand facing each other, eyes locked together, neither of us speaks. Damon’s eyes are not truly black, not when you look very closely, and not when they’re shining with tears. I once faulted Katharine for loving them both, but I know now that falling into that predicament is far easier than I ever would have imagined. And Damon knows that I love him, but for once he is willing to be the bigger man. I can almost see his heart break in those beautiful eyes before he is gone and the crow takes wing in front of me.


	51. Craving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: want

“But Elena-“

“You _promised_ , Bonnie.” The redhead was silenced quickly with a cold star and a cocked eyebrow. Elena’s other best friend was not so easily intimidated, however.

“But what about Matt?” Meredith asked, concern evident across her features. Though Elena could never know for sure whether that concern was for her or her recent ex.

“We broke up.” Elena’s tone left no room for any more discussion. Turning quickly from side to side, she considered her friends’ faces. Softening a bit at their obvious discomfort, Elena continued.

“You promised, guys. Stefan is what I want. End of story.”


	52. Dear Diary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Need

_September 4_

_Dear Diary,_

_Oh. My. God. I met the most beautiful boy today._

_Well,_ meet _might be the wrong term. I didn’t even talk to him. But it wasn’t like_ weird _or anything- he didn’t talk to anyone. He nearly caused a riot when he walked into the school (not to mention when he parked his shiny, expensive sports car), and I think that all of the attention might have spooked him. I, naturally, played it cool. It simply does not do to look obvious and desperate ~~like Caroline~~. But he is so gorgeous. I just have to bide my time._


	53. Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cry

Though she’d whispered his name as she entered the room, he didn’t turn to acknowledge her. It had been a shaky stretch of time, and even though he’d claimed to understand why she’d given in to Damon, she could tell he was still a bit jealous and hurt about the whole thing. But his silence scared her, and she hesitated to call his name again even as she approached him. What if she’d hurt him too badly?

Sensing her presence, Stefan turned to face her, and Elena’s heart broke as she saw the tears glisten in his eyes.

“Oh, Stefan.”


	54. She Was A Friend Of Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Trust

Even after everything that had happened, Elena had still trusted her old friend. She’d believed deep in her naive heart that Caroline would never be so bold as to break Robert E. Lee’s golden rule: Give Elena what Elena wants. And the whole school (with the possible exception of Stefan himself) knew that Stefan Salvatore was what Elena wanted.

And now the evil skank puppet was gyrating against the beautiful Italian boy as if he were a shiny brass pole.

And if the bitch fake laughed or flipped that over-processed hair one more time, Elena was sure she’d be ill.


	55. Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Chocolate

She figured Stefan would be appalled if he really knew what she thought and felt about him being a vampire, particularly about those very few times he let her exchange blood with him. He’d be shocked to learn about her secret fantasies of being changed by him and staying young and beautiful for an eternity together, or of her desperate longing to have him come to her, his thirst finally overruling his conscience. She ached for him to give in and let her drink from him. Ever since the first time, she’d craved the contact that exchange brought with it.


	56. Whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Good vs. Evil

Elena was tired.

Which, all things considered, was a pretty weird thing for a vampire to be. Not hungry, not thirsty... _tired_. So many things going wrong in the town she’d loved since childhood- so many people dying and others frightened that they were next. And it all centered on her. Somehow, all of this death and destruction was her fault. It was hell for her not to know exactly why all of it was following her, but Elena did know one thing. No matter how tired she was, she would never, ever rest until Fell’s Church was safe again.


	57. I'll Stand By You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Compassion

He looked so sad. Pity, desperation, heart-breaking empathy... those were not things Elena was used to experiencing. They were not pretty people’s problems. But as she entered Stefan’s destroyed room, she seemed to experience all of them at once. Seeing him so sad, so utterly distraught, pushed any thought from her head other than thoughts of his well-being. For once in her life, Elena’s world was not revolving around Elena, and she found the experience humbling, though surprisingly pleasant.

Taking his hand, she lead him to sit on the bed and met his eyes.

“Stefan, I love you. Tell me.”


	58. Sleep To Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sleep

The red glow of the alarm clock did nothing to calm Elena’s jangling nerves and soothe her to sleep. At the moment, the glowing numbers read 3:30, three hours left before the alarm rang. She did the insomniac math in her head and figured she’d been awake for twenty-one hours, a record she would have been proud of if she wasn’t so distracted by thoughts of Stefan and his apparent iciness; they were together now, so why all of the secrets? Why did he keep her at a distance? Turning over, Elena sighed and the clock silently ticked to 3:31.


	59. Dark Waltz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dreams

There was something entirely _wrong_ about the situation, and not only in that Elena knew she hadn’t ever lived in- or even visited- a palace. There was something wrong on the elemental level, and though that thought had originally bothered her, the circle of this dark and dangerous man's arms made her feel something she’d longed to feel forever. He made her feel like she belonged, maybe not in this time or this place- and certainly not waltzing- but _to him_. Always and only to him. She tried valiantly to think about Stefan, but destiny had other plans for her, and one more spin around the floor erased all thoughts but those of _him_ from her mind. When he bent to kiss her, she did not resist.


	60. Fade To Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Eyes

“You know that I don’t love you.”

Elena had to turn her back to him in order to avoid his obsidian stare. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to avoid those penetrating eyes while facing in even the remotest direction toward him, she couldn’t. And it seemed that no matter how many times she repeated _I don’t love you_ in her head and truly believed in those very words, she simply could not believe it when looking into his face. But she’d managed to tell him, and now all that was left was for him to graciously accept defeat and leave her for Stefan.

Chuckling, Damon’s hands slipped around her waist from behind, drawing her close to him. Elena gasped as she felt the proximity of his lips to her ear.

“I know nothing of the sort.”


	61. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Obsession

The twentieth century definition of stalking left Damon cold. No one today knew exactly what it was to stalk- to meticulously track, follow, and consume- because no one today knew what it was to be completely enthralled by another. No one understood the primal instinct to catch, to posses, to make your own. It was need too consuming for today's make-ups, break-ups, and casual intimacy. But Damon knew the need well- knew the tell-tale burning in his veins that had nothing to do with hunger.

Watching Elena, he licked his lips, knowing she would be his.


	62. Addicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Passion

Elena had been stupid to think she had ever understood love. Sure, there was the easy kind of love- the simple kind she felt for her family, for Bonnie and Meredith... for Matt. But it she’d ever thought she’d understood real love- _passion_ \- she’d been sorely mistaken.

When Stefan had entered her life, everything she ever thought she’d known had been turned completely upside down. Simple, safe love was... _lovely_ and all, but her love for Stefan ignited fires in her that she’d never experienced before in her life. When they were together she couldn’t tell where one of them ended and the other began.

A perfect fit.


	63. Criminal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: wicked

“Matt...”

Elena let her voice drift off. Nothing she could or ever would say to him would make anything she had done to him acceptable. No “sorry” would ever make things right again.

Matt’s normally kind eyes narrowed at her momentarily before rolling back disgustedly. On him it wasn’t an act of annoyance- just defeat. He looked away from her, clenching his jaw as if noticing for the first time that she was the world’s most selfish person.

“Matt, I... don’t worry about it.”

The boy’s blonde head turned back toward his ex, heartbreak shining in his eyes.

“When? Where?”


	64. Ascension of the Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Spirit

Elena Gilbert had never been religious.

It just wasn’t something she deemed necessary. One hour on Sunday was too much time to give up when there were parties to plan and sales to shop. And anyway, if God was so all-knowing, He’d know she was a pretty good girl, right?

But that wasn’t exactly true. She was snobby and rude and selfish, and if He was grading on that whole “Do-Unto-Others” thing she was pretty much toast.

Running her finger along the stone cross, Elena felt a tear slide down her cheek. She was a lot of things, not the nicest girl by a long shot, but no matter what predicament she found herself in now, she knew one thing.

“I’m not evil.”

She could only hope that He would remember that, too.


	65. Rebel Yell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rebel

Being with them made her feel strong. It did not really enter into her logic that now she really was strong. Being here, together, made her feel invincible. No matter the danger, they could defeat it. It was a reckless attitude, and foolish, but it was a kind of arrogance Elena was beginning to quite enjoy. A combination of immortality and teamwork seemed to be just the thing to motivate the former non-joiner.

Together, they could beat up the bad guys until the cows came home.

And then they could beat up the cows.

Feeling her fangs descend, Elena smiled.


	66. Sullen Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sadness

She wasn’t exactly sure what she had done.

Dumping Matt was something she’d had to do, right? She didn’t love him, right? Not the way he deserved to be loved.

And she’d done it before Stefan came, hadn’t she? She’d broken up with Matt for real reasons, hadn’t she?

Turning over in her bed again, Elena sighed, gripping her pillow to her chest even though it was damp with her earlier tears. Justifying her actions to herself would do absolutely no good. She knew the truth.

So why did it hurt so bad that everyone thought the worst of her?


	67. Only Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hope

When you think about it, it’s pretty weird that I feel safe with Stefan. Pretty strange that I feel warm and comfortable and protected, with him being a vampire and all. But to be fair, I didn’t know he was a vampire when I fell in love with him. And it’s not like he a _bad_ vampire, really...

But the strangest thing is the way I feel about him- the things I think even though he’s given me no reason to think them. I guess every girl weighs the marry-ability of any guy she dates, but there’s something wrong with dreaming of marrying a guy who will be perpetually hotter and younger than you. A man who can never be normal in any way, can never be a father, can never die...

But, hey- a girl can dream.


	68. Love & Faith & Inspiration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Faith

Bonnie went to church every Sunday with her family. Meredith on holidays. Matt hadn’t since his father’s funeral. Elena had tried a couple of times since her parents’ death, but nothing had ever stuck. She’d been thinking about things like that lately. Knowing Stefan was dead (and had been for several hundred years) seemed to have awakened a morbid interest in Elena’s own afterlife. Never one for deep thoughts, it was a little strange for her to contemplate those things, but when it came down to it, she knew that the Beatles were right. All you really need is love.


	69. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Home

Margaret was sleeping, she had seen that much from the window. Aunt Judith was still sad, but she guessed that was only to be expected. Elena knew it was crazy to keep going back there, to keep looking in at her old life, but something inside of her just couldn’t let it go.

Sighing, Elena leaned her head back against the rough wall of the barn she now had to call home. It was cold, and even though she technically wasn’t bothered by the temperature, her human memory told her she should be shivering.

This would never be her home.


	70. Love Fury Passion Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Courage

Death is nothing. Death is easy.

I can’t tell my friends that, though I know Stefan and Damon understand. I would die for them. I am prepared to die for them, but I’m still afraid. I don’t want to die for them, but if it’s them or me, I will lay everything down for them.

I don’t want to die again- I rather like my life. Well, un-life. I don’t look forward to the day my immortality ends, but if it needs to be today, then I will die for them. After all, I’ve done the death thing before. It’s all old hat for me.


	71. Who Am I Fooling?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Smile

“Effortless” is an amazingly hard thing to pull off sometimes. Cool, calm, collected... these are all qualities the entire student body of Robert E. Lee associate with me. Or at least they did until very recently. No one can know how it feels to go from being the most popular, beautiful, admired person in their world to being the girl everyone looks away from in the hallway, the girl whose entrance is always followed by the hush of a room that was just talking about you embarrassed into silence.

Time to go in, Elena. Take a deep breath and smile.


	72. Insane In The Membrane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Crazy

I’ve seen some strange things in my life, mainly in the past few months, but I have to say that Katherine takes the cake. It’s hard to watch her; she looks just like me, so seeing her dance around the crypt, laughing like she’s at some morbid society ball is like some extremely scary after school special. Don’t take drugs, kids- you’ll end up looney tunes. I could almost dismiss it as annoying- if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s chained us all up and is bent on killing us.

And if I hear that giggle one more time...


	73. Breathe No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lies

Elena Gilbert was going crazy. It was as simple as that. She looked at herself in the mirror and knew the girl who would have gazed back was not the perfect prom queen everyone expected her to be. It was unfair; that much was evident. The biggest fear any of her classmates had was getting pregnant, but even that was less trying than what she was going through. It was weird enough that she’d seduced Stefan even after finding out what he was- weirder still that she allowed herself to be seduced by Damon, knowing that he was like Stefan on crack- and weirdest of all to find herself dead and craving blood like it was frappachino. She knew that if she could see herself she would cry. She could feel it; her hair was limp, her eyes hollow, her lips chapped. She was newly made, and with the startling (and in Damon’s opinion, sickening) return of her conscience, she could not bring herself to drink enough blood. With more blood, and more time she would look more like the powerful creature she’d become. Glowy skin, red lips, eyes as keen as a bird of prey. She wished for that time to come, because at present she simply felt... well... dead. Elena Gilbert never looked disheveled or even anything but perfectly polished, and she could not stand what she knew should be reflected back at her now.

Tearing up, Elena turned to Stefan, her eyes searching his. Immediately the oak green eyes were full of love and concern, and Stefan cupped the side of her face in one of his large hands.

“Stefan...” she began hesitantly, “how do I look?” A smile broke over the man’s face as he leaned close to her and kissed her sweetly but passionately. Breaking apart long enough to whisper to her, he tried to reassure his self-conscious girlfriend.

“Beautiful.”

The word caused a sob to rise from Elena’s throat, but she held on to him tightly.

“Liar.”


	74. Evil Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Angel

Though the dreams of Damon came unbidden, Elena cold not deny that when they did come, she enjoyed them. It would kill Stefan if he knew, but what could she do? They were only dreams, after all... It wasn’t as if she could choose what she dreamt of, was it?

But she smiled as she snuggled into her covers, secretly hoping to have one of those secret dreams she never told anyone about, the kind she held so close to her heart no one would ever be able to tear it from her. And as she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn that she felt his cool hand caress her face, his soft lips kiss her forehead- could have sworn his voice was the last thing she’d heard before abandoning reality for the freedom of dreams.

“Goodnight, my angel.”


	75. Pretty Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Embarrassment. Elena's father shows up at a sporting event.

“Oh, God.” Shutting her eyes, Elena silently prayed that when she opened them the middle-aged man with the painted face and giant foam finger would not be there and that he most certainly not be waving frantically for her attention, calling her name. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Elena opened her eyes and turned around.

“He’s not so bad,” Bonnie giggled. “Kinda cute.” From the other side, a second hand fell onto Elena’s other shoulder.

“He wanted a boy, didn’t he?” Meredith asked sarcastically, her eyes drifting toward the football field. If she could have, Elena would have shrunk to nothing where she stood. It would only be later in life, when her father was gone, that she would realize exactly how proud he’d been of her. She hoped he’d never known how embarrassed she’d been of him sometimes.


	76. White Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Tradition

It was gorgeous and terrible at the same time, and Elena stood before it in utter stupefaction. Such simple elements, really, when you thought about it- such common and mundane ingredients... but put together this way, those parts were worth far more than their individual values. Put them together, and they weren’t normal at all . . . they were magnificent, majestic, _maddening_.

They always said you knew the right one the moment you saw it, though Elena had never believed that until this very moment. With a sigh she turned away from the mass of fabric that even now seemed to mourn her loss and left behind the wedding gown she’d never get to wear.


	77. Criminal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Truth

The truth is I know how people see me.

The truth is I know why they think I’m that way.

And if I’m honest, the truth is that I’ve never really cared.

The unpopular people always think they’re the ones who are alone. And they hate me because they think I have it easy. They hate me because no matter what they do, they’re afraid of me. They know a smile from me will boost their own popularity and that if I disapprove of anything they do, the whole school will disapprove too. They see me as their queen, their cool, dispassionate, absolute ruler. It never seems to dawn on them that they put me there. A person isn’t popular because she wants to be- the social outcasts of Robert E. Lee should know that better than anyone- it’s other people who make you who you are in high school.

I never tried to be who I am- a combination of good looks, good luck, and a certain way with the male species has done that work for me, and if I’m really, truly being honest with myself, I don’t think I could force myself to try to be the queen if I wasn’t there already.

Because I know what everyone else at Robert E. Lee doesn’t.

The truth is that you can be the most popular girl in your entire school and have wonderful friends and still be completely and utterly alone. The truth is that even pretty, popular people have problems and doubts and loss and sadness. The truth is it’s just as lonely at the top as it is at the bottom.

We just have better clothes.


	78. Just Drop Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Anger. AU Damon/Elena- Elena doesn't want Damon to go out tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS VERY, VERY AU AND VERY, VERY VIOLENT! I don't know where it came from, but I like it ;) But please, if you're at all squeamish, do not read it!

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Out.”

The response came as icy as his stare. Quickly (she remembered with a smirk how Stefan had hated that word), she moved to block the door, fangs bared.

“Am I not enough anymore?”

“I’m _hungry_ , Elena.”

“And why is it that every time you’re _hungry_ some bimbo goes missing from a wet t-shirt contest?”

“I know, the youth of today, huh? It was so much more fun debauching them when they started out innocent and pure!” The humor of Damon’s words did not reach his eyes or his smile, now showing his glittering fangs. Grabbing his leather jacket, more for effect than any practical reason, he squared himself for confrontation. “Let me through, Elena. I’d hate to have to hurt you.”

Licking her lips, Elena further blocked the door with a suggestive sway of her hips.

“Aaw, baby... We both know that’s not true.” It was too easy an opportunity for Damon, who was angry and frustrated and hungry to begin with. Elena’s antics were not entertaining him tonight. Sneering at his younger companion, he backhanded her across the face, and in her shock, Elena didn’t attempt to stop him from moving her out of the open door. But she had been right all along, of course. 

He loved it when they hurt each other. Just made the whole vampire situation a lot more fun. Leaning in, he kissed her gently, licking the blood from her swollen and split lip. Elena pushed him away and slapped him hard across the face.

“You bastard!”

“Indeed, I am.” Smirking, Damon started again for the door. “Be back before sunrise.”

“I’m going to stake you in your sleep you jerk! I’m gonna rip your fucking throat out and enjoy it!”

“Oh, Elena... don't get me all riled up now. Not on an empty stomach.”


	79. Judas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Betrayal

For a while, Elena had thought it was exhaustion or stress that clouded her mind. She had assumed that she was, quite simply, terrified of what would happen the minute Caroline got up to give her speech. But as she watched the beads on Caroline’s bag throw off sunlight like a disco ball- saw the silly, selfish way Caroline pandered to the audience behind the other speakers’ backs, she realized the true nature of her feelings with a vicious pain in her gut. It wasn’t terror affecting her; it was the slow burning of Caroline’s knife twisting in her back.


	80. Tonight And The Rest Of My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Light

That morning brought with it the strange and rare feeling that waking up really wasn’t that bad; it was, in fact, quite like being asleep. The strange comfort of exhaustion felt like a bed of pure, gold light, and Elena imagined herself floating among the stars, weightless and effortless. Sighing and smiling, she felts as if she could stretch forever in any direction, but as she floated she noticed an odd occurrence- the stars around her were rearranging themselves into a peculiar pattern. In the distance, the light became a face.

_Stefan!_

Grudgingly, Elena opened her eyes. Stefan needed her.


	81. Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last line is from Vanessa Carlton's "Twilight."

Dear Diary,

Everything is so different now- in so many ways that I can’t explain even to myself. When I look back, I know that I am not the same girl I was before all of this started, like I was stained with a role in a day not my own. And even though I always knew what was right, I just didn’t know that the world could be seen so differently than the way I saw it then.

But I will never see the sky the same way, and I will learn to let go of all the things I don’t need. And I’ll never be satisfied with being anything less than I can be- even if it’s just for Stefan’s sake.

I will always reach too high because I’ve seen twilight.


	82. The Ash Grove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Trees. Only one kind of stake will stop Klaus- AU- Elena tells Bonnie in a dream (instead of having to find a victim)

The choir room was just how Bonnie remembered it, and before she could wonder what she was doing there, Elena appeared from the other side of the grand piano.

“Okay,” Bonnie said, “this was _not_ my idea! I hated choir. I got kicked out for talking, and you were tone deaf!”

“I brought you here,” Elena replied cryptically, bowing to play a short but familiar phrase of notes on the keyboard. “I told Stefan something important,” she continued, repeating the notes. Bonnie made to respond, but Elena cut her off. “We don’t have much time here. Just think, Bonnie- think _hard_...”

The dream dissipated more quickly than any of the previous ones, though not in the normal, terrifying way. In fact, Bonnie woke peacefully, and in her dreamy haze, she began to sing a song she and Elena had performed as part of the junior high choir- the song that the notes Elena had been playing belonged to.

_The ash grove, how graceful..._

Bonnie’s eyes flew open, and she fumbled for the phone next to her bed.


	83. White Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ride/Drive

The window was cool against her hot forehead, and she was thankful that Meredith had taken charge like always and offered to drive. She stared out the window sightlessly, knowing that each revolution of the tires brought her infinitesimally closer to home, to him. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed the trip her friends had planned for her, but even the few days without him had seemed an aching eternity. But now they were on their way back, so close she could feel her pulse quicken. She smiled and began to count. Every single white dash brought her closer to him.


	84. Transylvanian Concubine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Non-Canon/AU

She smiled to see him still feeding off the pretty little blonde they’d brought home, and though she was still in the infancy of vampirism, she could feel the bloodlust burning through her veins. Like an infant of any species, she needed as much nourishment as she could get, but that tiny bit of human that still resided in her heart would not allow her to eat this one- she’d graduated a year ahead of Elena’s class and they’d known each other. Not well, but enough to make Elena uncomfortable killing her .

Damon glanced up just in time to see Elena lick her lips, and he smirked contentedly. Then, like a proud teacher, he beckoned her forward with one finger and an encouraging smile.

“Come. I killed her, no use wasting blood that’s useless to her now.” Elena couldn’t deny her hunger any longer and she moved toward her master. Damon opened the arm that wasn’t propping up his prey and embraced Elena with a strange mix of fatherly pride and unadulterated lust. He kissed her forehead before instructing her to drink. She didn’t miss the vein or rip the flesh this time as Damon held her close, a look of near orgasmic ecstasy on his supernaturally beautiful face.


	85. Stranger Than You Dreamt It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Crossover. Elena and Buffy compare notes

“So...” the blonde girl began, “your boyfriend is a vampire?” Slowly and solemnly, the other girl nodded. They were strikingly similar in looks- both thin and blonde, both amazingly beautiful. “And let me get this straight... He’s a good vampire who doesn’t feed on humans?”

“Yup.”

“Tall, dark, excruciatingly handsome in a European kind of way?”

“Mmmhmm...”

“And your best friend is a redhead?”

“Yes.”

“And a witch?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Is she a lesbian?” The second girl made a face, considering the possibility.

“Not that I know of,” she concluded.

“Oh.” It seemed that the similarities had ended, and the questioner narrowed her eyes in concentration, searching for the one fact that would separate her from this doppleganger in a definite way. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, triumph etched across her face.

“Yeah, but have you ever died?” Buffy Summers asked, an eyebrow cocked, one corner of her mouth twitching to a half-formed smile.

But Elena was ready, and she smirked as she sized up the other girl.

“Twice, actually.” At that the color drained from Buffy’s face, her expression suddenly wide-eyed and wondering.

“Shut up!”


	86. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena drowns

She’d never thought about it, and now that she _did_ think, she’d be willing to bet that not a whole lot of people ever stopped to consider it either. Such a common occurrence, but one that no one ever wondered about it was too late, and Elena thought that was a shame. Because now that she would appreciate it, she realized she felt a little useless not doing it. Her lungs should be filling with water now, burning for air, but instead she sat calmly behind the wheel of Matt’s old beat up car and wondered vaguely whether she might see any fish.


	87. Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fell's Church forgets.

There had been a rush on blank books in Fell’s Church shortly after her death. Not the first time- her real death- but after Katherine, when Bonnie had convinced Mrs. Grimesby to put Elena’s diary on display in the library right there next to Honoria Fell’s. It seemed that even in death Elena was trendsetter; journals, notebooks, kiddie diaries with brightly colored plastic locks flew of the shelves with record speed. Half of the drugstores in Virginia were sold out of paper products within weeks. But just as quickly the books were tossed aside, and soon visitors to the library passed the shiny glass case without so much as a second glance. Fell’s Church was beginning to forget.


	88. Throwing Punches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vampire! Elena punches someone (I like to think it's Tyler).

Even though pain shot through her hand and she felt the pinpoint sting of tears behind her eyes, Elena couldn’t help smiling. The liquid was thick, the moonlight causing it to appear black against her pale skin, and she watched it for a second, examining the way it flowed, reveling in the pain of which it was a manifestation- the pain she’d inflicted. Slowly, she brought the hand to her mouth, licked the sticky fluid, and grinned. The pain would go away, but the look on his face, the crunch of his nose- those things would stay with Elena forever.


	89. If I Should Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena has second thoughts about Stefan.

He was everything she had ever wanted, even before she’d known she’d wanted it. He was perfect, he was gorgeous, he was loving. He was _Stefan_ , and she loved him- no matter who or what he was.

But what if that wasn’t enough? 

She had been adamant with him. She was strong enough, tough enough, resilient enough to cope. She wouldn’t let him lose control; she’d help him in any way she possibly could. She had told him she would never let him down, and at the time she’d even believed it.

But what happened if she was wrong?


	90. Neptune City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena prepares to leave Fell's Church for the final time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after _Dark Reunion_.

Elena took a deep breath, fully aware that she didn’t need to, but it was a learned behavior, and even the repetition of it seemed to calm her. She had felt this way to a lesser extent as she’d watched the first memorial service in her honor. Not quite a funeral, no body, after all, but a sad occasion nonetheless. But then she’d been so confused, so groggy. All she’d known was that she’d woken up dead, and that was never a calming thought. But this time she understood. She didn’t belong here anymore, and she could never go home.


	91. Jealous of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A debate on the merits of vampires vs. werewolves

Even though she hated him, there were times when Elena envied Tyler. There he was, more of a monster than she or Stefan would ever be, and he was allowed to walk around town like a normal person. And he _was_ a normal person ninety-nine percent of the time! He could go to school, play football, run for Prom king, all the while thinking about what pretty little thing he was going to eat next month! It wasn’t fair! There were times when she just wanted to kill him. If only she could find a spare silver bullet somewhere.


	92. Her Portrait In Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena wonders about her place in Fell's Church history.

Bonnie had been so proud of herself when she’d told her that Elena didn’t have the heart to wince at the fact that her private diaries were now on display for the whole world to see. _Not that the whole world travels through Fell’s Church_ , she kept telling herself. _You’re overreacting_. And even though she’d never regret what she had done, the thought of her heroism being broadcast felt a little strange to Elena. She hadn’t done what she’d done to be heralded as the savior of the city, but she could suddenly see herself as others must now think of her, like one of those sad-faced martyrs in the stained glass windows at church.

Then again, stoic _was_ a good look for her.


	93. Maneater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena starts her junior year.

Oh, it was good to be back.

Summer had been fun, yes, but summer in rural Virginia was an achingly boring stretch of time for someone of Elena’s social standing. School was where everyone gathered; she didn’t need to look too hard for company- people flocked around her at school. At good old Robert E. Lee, she was queen.

And everyone from the football team to the golf team to the marching band to the chess club adored her here.

School was where the boys were.

And she did love Matt, but she also had an adoring public to entertain. _Noblesse oblige, n’est-ce pas?_


	94. Selfless, Cold, and Composed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena doesn't know herself anymore

The girl in the mirror was no one Elena had ever seen before. Her eyes were hard, focused and determined. Her mouth was tight, jaw clenched the way she’d sometimes seen soldiers do in movies. No color brightened her cheeks like it used to, none of the flirting good humor she was used to danced through her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled- _really_ smiled. She was nothing that she had been before, but there was so much more to her now, a much more urgent sense of purpose. More severe, but also more benevolent. She would protect them now; they had no idea what was coming.


	95. Wreck of the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena is sick of the boys fighting.

She wanted it to stop.

All of it.

The hating, the fighting, the crying, clawing, brawling, bawling.

She loved Stefan. She loved Damon. She did not love them the same, of course, but could Stefan see that? No. She was quickly becoming Katherine, part two in his mind, and she didn’t like it. Any idiot should have been able to see that they all had to stick together if any of them was going to survive this. And Damon... All Damon could think of was getting into her pants and under Stefan’s skin. He was the most immature bazillion-year-old she could imagine.

And she was tired of being pulled between them in their little war. Because she loved them both, and no matter what she tried, she could never change that.


	96. Metal Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena wishes she was stronger

Bonnie and Meredith were counting on her, let alone Matt and Alaric and all of the kids at the dance. Stefan and Damon needed her, too, but it felt so funny that they, who had been immortal for so long, would need her, who until a couple weeks ago had been content with being a perfect little Barbie doll. She had never really been strong before. Cold, maybe- to those who didn’t matter, at least- but never strong. Without her court Queen Elena was powerless. But it was time to finally take a stand. She jumped up, lunging at Katherine.


	97. Baptized in Blacklight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena parties

It had been Damon’s idea (surprise, surprise), and she’d been shocked that Stefan had agreed, but as she stood against the wall, swaying slightly as the bass from the stereo thumped off the walls, from underneath the floor, through her whole body, Elena felt a tiny smile form on her face. The college was far enough away from Fell’s Church that no one should recognize her, and that anonymity, coupled with the feeling that, being technically dead, she was getting away with something she should not, gave Elena a strange sense of courage- almost an intoxication even though the beer the frat boys had given her could not touch her.


	98. Goodnight, Sweetheart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the final battle

She supposed it would take a while to remember how it felt to be alive again. She could remember most of what had led up to her appearing, alive and naked, in the middle of the field. She remembered talking to Bonnie, and that one time to Stefan. She remembered Klaus. She remembered her dear soldiers, so vigilant even in death. Too much blood, too many deaths. The land had given up its dead to ensure that no more blood was spilled, and she had helped- she’d _orchestrated_ it. She remembered Damon leaving, remembered crying. And she remembered Stefan’s sweet voice as she fell asleep in his arms, his lips hovering infinitesimally above her ear.

“Goodnight, Sweetheart.”


	99. Written In Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter how she tries, Elena cannot accept her new nature.

It has taken her a long time, but Elena Gilbert has finally realized that the truth is subjective. All the definites- good, bad, love, hate- they're all the same. They're all interchangeable. Sins and tragedies are only random acts of goodness and causes for celebration when you look at them right. She can no longer pretend that she can choose what her future holds. Her fate has been sealed, written in blood, and it is only up to her to decide whether her nature is good or bad. Gazing up at the moon, she knows she will always be a broken girl.


	100. Better Than Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena/Damon semi-smut

She bit his lower lip hungrily and stared at him until he opened his eyes. He did, eventually, after feeling her eyes, filled with fire, demanding his attention. Even with his lip still clenched between her teeth, he smirked and cocked an arrogant eyebrow. They held each other's stare and the position they were in until, slowly, Elena began to taste his blood as it trickled into her mouth. Now it was her turn to smile, though her pride was short-lived . Growling, Damon shoved her against a wall before following and pressing himself impossibly close to her, kissing her.


End file.
